Denouncing Jihad Is ‘Hate Speech’?

It seems odd that liberal Christians and Muslims would accept the premise that anti-jihad ads “demean” all Muslims. Instead of playing the game of proclaiming personal offense, the United Methodist Women and their interfaith belligerents could have modeled a non-“hateful” way to denounce violent Islamists and jihad. Surely they oppose Islamist war and terror. But in response to the ads, and historically in recent decades, the Religious Left typically will not specifically critique radical Islam or its carnage. Instead, religious leftists speak euphemistically of “religious extremism” and strain to draw parallels between mass terror or genocide by Islamist radicals and regimes with occasional American or Western killers whose motivations are almost always non-religious and who do not represent mass movements.

Particularly significant is that the Religious Left relishes denunciations of Christian jihad in the form of the Crusades of nearly 1000 years ago. Ostensibly millions of Muslims are still offended by the military exploits of European knights from the early Middle Ages and can only be mollified if 21st century church elites repeatedly apologizing. Presumably the Religious Left would have no objection to New York subway ads that urged: “Renounce Crusade.” A widely publicized and endorsed Christian statement that emerged out of Yale Divinity School in 2007 called “Loving God and Neighbor Together” apologized for both the Crusades and War on Terror, combining the two across a millennium, and imploring: “We ask forgiveness of the All-Merciful One and of the Muslim community around the world.”

So Crusade is bad but evidently jihad is not so bad, or at least not suitable for public concern. Meanwhile, a religion columnist for The Huffington Post objected to the subway ad’s citation of “savages” as also a defamation of all Muslims. “Viewing all Palestinians as Muslim savages plays into the worst temptation of settlers to regard a Palestinian life as less valuable than an Israeli,” he warned. “The use of savage to talk about ‘the other’ is, of course, an old trick — just talk to the Native Americans, who were the original ‘savages’ in our country; or the people of Africa for Europeans.” The ad implicitly targets terrorists, especially anti-Israel terrorists. Can the murderers of innocents be justly called “savage”? Christianity and Judaism teach that humans have free will and are quite willing and able to commit savagery. Yet to say so is increasingly politically incorrect.

“We all need to leave off the ‘savage’ language and the mindset that is behind it,” according to the HuffPo columnist. “Instead Americans need to double down on the strength of our country which is our commitment to pluralism and respect of the other.” But how then to describe and react to terrorists and jihadists who reject pluralism and murderously disrespect “the other”? The Religious Left critics of the New York subway ads offer no answer. Instead, like United Methodist Women, they only denounce those who try for their supposed “hate speech.”

Mark Tooley is President of the Institute on Religion and Democracy (www.theird.org) and author of Methodism and Politics in the Twentieth Century. Follow him on Twitter: @markdtooley.

zionit

If there's something worth denouncing it's jihad which is surely the active definition of hate. Instead they are denouncing denouncing hate.http://crombouke.blogspot.com

http://www.resonoelusono.com/NaturalBornCitizen.htm Alexander Gofen

In their dhimmitude and stupidity, islam-friendly "Christians" can compete only with islam-friendly Jews.

We see emerging a new type of pseudo-Christians (both on the Left and the Right), who actually invite and welcome a competing religion (!) into their own home. And not just some competing religion, but Islam of all – the religion which once had almost defeated the Christendom in Europe. Islam, whose religious doctrine is to smite Christians and Jews.

It had never happened in the history before that Christianity wished even to acknowledge the validity of a totally foreign faith – never mind to invite it into the own home and allow proselytize. On the contrary, Christians looked rather jealously at any competitors at home, and tended to spread the Gospel in other places.

What we see now is a new type of an alliance between the godless progressives with a particular branch of "Christians": both friendly to Islam so much, that they negate the exclusive Judeo-Christian national identity of America, and are ready to change the make up of America into Islamic.

The author ought to not obfuscate the issue of the article: Jihad is inseparable from islam. There cannot be non-jihadist "mo-o-oslemes".

And yes, NO mo-o-o-oslem MUST FEEL COMFORTABLE IN AMERICA. One who values his/her mo-o-o-oslem faith does not belong to America, nor ought to ever move here.

BS77

"Religious left" is an oxymoron, and an impossibility …….the deal is, as Michael Savage said, "Liberalism is a mental disorder". Only liberals would consider it impolite to stop massacres or to denounce thugs, totalitarian dictators and genocidal brutes. They worry about offending the "feelings" of others while ignoring terrible crimes, oppression, misogyny, the massacres in Sudan and elsewhere. Liberals live in a hermetically sealed jar of incomprehensible moral confusion.

Steven

The truth is that there is no "Christian Left". Only wolves in sheeps clothing. By their fruits you will know them and these ladies fruits are rotten to the core. Bad company corrupts good morals and theses ladie are bad company. There are standards for disciples and being a leftist pretending to love Jesus while supporting hatred of Israel, killing of the unborn and other clearly anti-biblical acts too numerous to mention here do not meet the test.
Matthew 7:21-23
I Never Knew You
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Will these "Christian" women still feel the same way when the Islamofascists are marching them off to the ovens?

kafir4life

Probably, yes. They'll be apologizing the whole way, and offer matches to be helpful.

Spider

Anhilation by Ji-hadists never occurrs to them because just like Obama they don't believe anything bad will happen to them if they are just "nice" to the Ji-hadists. The best they can hope for is to be left alone and the worst they can hope for is to be eaten last. I vote for the latter outcome.

Drakken

I say the hell with them, let them be slaughtered for you just cannot reason with people who are suicidal. The rest of us will not go so quietly into the night.

Mike

It is no wonder that this group is shrinking. If they ever read the bible they most likely wouldn't believe it either. We are living in some crazey times just like Jesus said we would just before he comes back. You cannot serve two masters and these women seem to have made up their own rules. Islam is a false religion and we need people to stand up against it with the truth. These women are shameful! I support Pam Geller 100%

Schlomotion

Mr. Tooley is simply trying to tell the Methodist Church what they may or may not say. His organization has two main purposes: advocating gun-running to Christian paramilitaries, and sabotaging American Churches that fall out of line with deep government goals. To this effect, he is trying to bolster the efforts of Pam Geller as she tries to weasel out of the words of her own ad campaign.

She can insist all she wants, but "Israel" vs "Jihadists" is a mismatched contrast. Anyone familiar with her ravings knows that in her dictionary "Israel" means the country, the people, and Jews, the religion, the whole shebang. "Jihadists" means stark raving mad crazed and coerced lunatics, by which she means all Muslims and has said "Islam must be destroyed."

Ms. Geller is trying to haggle the meaning of her ad words, but we all know what she meant. Now the strategy is to turn it from a "free speech" fight to a "hate speech" fight as the Hasbara changes its footing. Too bad "hate speech" is a failed attempt to label and ban antisemitism, a label touted by the likes of Raphael Cohen-Almagor, Simon Jones, and by Hasbaras in Canada trying to arrest Ernst Zundel. Now that flap is blowing back on Hasbaras such as Atlasshrugs who want to issue their own "hate speech" and now need to debunk "hate speech."

Pontotoc Bill

Sorry, SchloMo, but your diatribe is inane and worthless. Zundel denies that which is historical fact.

You confuse argument of historical fact with opinion. I agree with Ms. Gellar that Jihadists is the radicals in Islam who wish to dominate the world according to their "holy" book. Not all Muslims, but those who deny freedom to the people of the world.

Try again, mental midget.

Drakken

I am simpley amazed that you can put 2 and 2 together and get 15. Your stupidity knows no bounds.

LibertarianToo

Hate speech is protected by the 1st Amendment, whether the Fascist Left (forgive the redundancy) likes it or not. Hey "It's the writ of the founders."

And like most of the sanctimonious pronouncements Obama makes about the history of this country, he is wrong about our tradition of respecting other people's religions. Toleration is not respect, which is why it is so often coupled with the word "grudging.". If you wanted to practice a religion other than Puritanism, e.g., you were not welcome in Massachusettes. Catholics had to find refuge in Maryland. Pennsylvania was open to Quakers, etc. There has been a rough-and-tumble in this country regarding religion, and the role of the Government is to keep their noses out of it, and not presume to instruct their employers.

I'm sure you'll agree that "Israel" vs "Muslims" is also a mismatched contrast, not to mention NOT what the ad says. These concerned church ladies had nothing to say when the NY subway system hosted ads opposing US support of Israel. They reserve their compassion fot the Religion of Peace -which is their right, however hare-brained.

Ghostwriter

Stupidity,thy name is Schlomotion.

Mike

This group is nothing less than a bunch of apostate do-gooders that call "evil good and good evil" come into our houses and our land and take all you want, kill our children and rape our wives. If it were up to no-brain-in-motion and the methodist women to protect us and this country we would be speaking another laungage. What a joke!!

pierce

Jihadists HATE ANY ONE who is not arabic. Wake up all you do gooders, they have no use for you.

EthanP

Not Arabic, Islamic.

HOFFY561

After 9/11 I would have believed that The U.S. would be extremely dilligent in finding and prosecuting Islamic ierrorists. During the Bush administration I felt confident that we were on the right course. Although I didn't accept that Sadaam Hussein was responsible, I bought into his WMD as many people did.

The Obama administration has had one success in fighting Terrorists, the killing of Osama. All of the other successes were purely luck. My question is this: Are there any Democrats who have the guts to stand up and denounce Obama's policies toward Islamic Terrororists, or are they just political animals. Frankly, the "Silence is Deafening".

EthanP

NO!

Stuart Parsons

One concludes that these well-meaning Methodist ladies have no consulted Islam's Quran, Sunnah and Sirah or have any idea what Sharia law is like. I fear the road to Hell is paved with their good intentions.

EthanP

These "usefull idiots" on the left seem to think that the Islamists are allies in their war on Western Culture. Like the German industrialists who supported the Nazis, they will find they have a tiger by the ears. Radical Islam has no allies, only victims, living or dead.

Pagael

Where are the Islamic groups condemning the violent Jihad activity? Their silence condones the EVIL done by these Jihadists and the United Methodist Women do nothing in word or deed against the EVIL done by the Jihadists. Truly, the Lord said "26 then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ 27 But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ The New King James Version. (Luke 13:26–27).

bkopicz

If you want to see a convoluted Orwellian mindset visit the Huffington Post, its like a big freak show.

jmz

when the next world war against the mussie trash starts..remember theese people. take them and throw them to the wolves. and when they realize how foolish they were and how they betrayed the REAL god and not some mussie warlord prophet muhammed (pig piss be upon the prophet of islam). when they scream for us to save them from their folly…shout "NO!" and let them suffer and die knowing their deaths and the death of islam will make the world a better place!

Reese

How can this happen in America? Our Islam-promoting President has made it so that we are not allowed to say that we don't like Islam. We can't tell the truth about Islam that is tells it's followers to cut off hands, feet, noses, lips, ears, burn females with acid and boiling oil, cut people's heads off, use instruments of torture to rape and sodomize until the person's insides are ripped up, fly passenger jets full of innocent people into buildings full of innocent people, etc. We have lost our freedom and our country when the dictators have ruled that we can't speak out against something that we know is hurting, killing, and oppressing people all over the world. The Islamists had a written stated goal to use our laws and freedom against us to infiltrate our society and agitate for special rights for themselves to the point that it is illegal for us to say we are against what they are doing. They win and we lose for good unless Americans wake up and vote this America-destorying President out. http://www.atlasshrugs.com; http://www.thereligionofpeace.com

BS77

Pam Geller is one of the bravest Americans….go to her website and get educated. Read Ann Coulter. Read Brigitte Gabrielle's excellent books.

Sunbeam

The only religion that propagates violence and terror is Islam. If there's anything to denounce hate it is this. These men and women in placards do not seemed to have wisdom to discern between good and evil. If they're truly Christians at heart, they would have the spiritual enlightenment to discern well. What they're calling for is a reverse of what they should stand for. And this might give the enemies an upper hand in its endeavor.

Sunbeam

There's been numerous debates over this controversial subject. Unfortunately, we are still not able to reach any conclusive solution to all that is facing us today. What's more, the evil are giving us hell of stress in our struggle for righteousness and of uprightness, hampering us in whatever way they can, drowning our voices, crippling our defenses for every thing that stands in their way to bring about their agenda. And they're very determine than ever. Wake up folk!

Infovoyeur

I still think that maybe a better version of the ad would have been: […something like civilization vs. savagery, and then:] "It's not Islam. It's not Muslims. It's jihadist Islamism." See, the endless discussion is Islam Peace or Sword, are all Muslims etc.," muffles and dilutes the real issue, the savage element aiming for a world Caliphate at all costs. (Also, people change their opinions step by step not all of a sudden. Perhaps this version now, and then later, discuss if all of Islam is savage, etc.) Admittedly, my suggestion conceals the Israel issue importatn to her…

Tanner

These are the same kinds of people that are anti-Israel. They will become the United In Hate Methodist Church sooner or later.

"We needed to be present with a counter voice, we need to stand for the work of peace."

That is just a bunch of crap. They condemn those that speak or stand against evil, and at the same time don't rebuke the evil being done in the world that they're suppose to rebuke. There's a saying in the 21st century, "Another man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter." The Left sees the U.S. and Israel as the enemy, and the Right sees the Islamist/Leftist alliance as the enemy. And the Islamists are not that different from the Left. They insist that the Zionist Jews are like the Nazis, while the Left pushes the Nazis and Fascists with the Christians and the Right. And yet, they don't know or refuse to believe the fact that Hitler and Mussolini were influenced by Karl Marx himself, and the fact that Islamic leaders like Hasan al-Bana and Haj Amin al-Husseini supported Hitler. Even the Communist Regime of the Soviets had an alliance with Hitler until 1941. Very sad to see how dishonest the Left is.

“We ask forgiveness of the All-Merciful One and of the Muslim community around the world.”

How is it a sin to support Israel and to denounce jihad and Sharia Law? I don't get what these people think these days.

FPF

What's wrong to hate the evil?

Tanner

Exactly!!! What's wrong with hating evil? But these people are totally blind, if not deceived. And they are certainly not Christians. I would say the same thing about a Jewish man supporting Hamas. I would not consider him to be Jewish at all if he did such things. Same thing with human rights groups that contradict themselves.